In Her Arms, I Love
by minstreltroubadour
Summary: Kate Beckett contemplates on her life, so far, with Castle. Her short thoughts on how far they've come. One-shot. Caskett Family. Hopefully, the story is better than the summary.
This is my first fanfic in almost 3 years since school took over my life. But hearing the news we are all devastated and angry about, I just couldn't pass up this idea that keeps popping in my head. Apologies for the sloppy writing. A short and sweet one-shot. Kate Beckett as a mom.

* * *

It was a Saturday and Captain Beckett was checking week's worth of paperwork. Kate hates working on the weekends but this week, in particular, a lot of her colleagues are out for a holiday and vacation. The precinct was understaffed, so she had to come in.

Not that she didn't like it, of course, she loves the work and the difference the force makes everyday is what keeps her going. The precinct was her home for the most part of her life and it still is, only now it is secondary. Now that she had a family of her own, that part takes priority now. But situations like these call for sacrifice on her part and luckily, her family understands that.

Kate was reviewing one of the murder cases of the week. Ryan and Esposito took over the case and finished it just before the week ended. Lanie's autopsy report proved vital to fast-tracking the case and as usual, those three came through splendidly.

One of the supposed "perks" of being Captain was that she wasn't as "on-call" as when she was still a detective. She's really need not go to crime scenes, though, admittedly, she misses it a lot.

"It gets easier, you'll ease into it" she remembers Victoria Gates advising her in a dinner they had just before she took over the precinct. "If you need anything, just call me." she added. Kate still calls Gates from time to time about more complicated matters on handling the precinct. Over time, they did create a special bond of trust and loyalty and both of them appreciates it a lot.

She sighed and checked the time. It's 5:30 in the afternoon and she's down to her last file for the day. She checked all the mandatory details and if they were all labeled correctly, "Check…check…check" she whispers in the eerie silence of her precinct. She went through a couple more pages and finally closed the file to end.

She leaned back to her chair and stretched her arms. She looked around the room, it was a long, slow day at the precinct and most of who came in just did paperwork.

She turned to one side. The place where Castle's chair is now sits.

When Kate became captain and moved offices, she requested that the chair be moved there. It was sappy and sentimental but she knows the importance of putting value in those little things that made them who they are, both as a crime-solving duo and a couple. She grabbed her bag that was sitting on top of it and prepared to leave. Castle will arrive anytime soon to pick her up .

"Have a good night, captain" Espo said as he passed by her office.

"You too, Espo."

She checked her phone, "Almost there, see you soon" Castle messaged, ending it with a heart emoji.

"Castle picking you up?" Espo asked.

"Yep, grabbing dinner outside. It's been a stressful week in the household." Kate answered.

Stressful is an understatement. Castle has been touring for his new book, Alexis is reviewing for her exams and is busy preparing for law school, Martha is busy with her new theater play and Kate, well, is running a precinct. With their hectic lives, she's thankful that they find ways and make the effort to really spend time with each other as a family and that everyone makes it top priority.

"Alright, just enjoy the night, okay? Okay." Espo quietly went back to his desk.

She grabbed her bag and headed out to the hallway towards the elevator when it dinged.

"You still cheated, dad. It was an illegal move" Kate smiled. She would know that voice anywhere in the world.

This bundle of joy is one of the best surprises in Rick and Kate's relationship. Kate has always been unsure of the right time to have children so when they learned that they were pregnant, they were genuinely shocked but beyond happy.

Their daughter is more than what either one of them could've ever dreamed or imagined. Of course, as a parent, she realizes that she might have certain biases towards her daughter but Kate believes that she's the best of both of them. With her brown locks and green eyes, she is a splitting image of Kate, a mini-me of some sorts and everyone who meets them never fails to mention that.

"Mommy!" Rick and Kate's two-year old daughter let go of Castle's hand and sprinted towards Kate down the hall upon seeing her. Kate crouched down to catch the jumping kid in her arms.

"Hi sweetheart, I missed you today." Kate whispered in her baby girl's ear as she carrier her up.

"I missed you too, mommy" Kate's daughter whisper back as she securely and closely cling to her. "Dad, Alexis and I went to the arcade and dad cheated."

"Oh did he now." Kate said looking directly into Rick's eyes.

"Yes." she sheepishly replied, her voice muffled as she snuggled in her hair.

Kate gave small laugh while glaring at her coming husband and stepdaughter.

Alexis was the first to reach over and gave Kate a kiss on the cheek. "Hi, darling. How was your exam?" Kate asked.

As she pursues getting her law degree, she's started taking the tests to get in to the top schools in the country. Over the years, Kate and Alexis has developed almost a mother-daughter relationship and she welcomed that the moment Rick Castle came into her life.

One of the things she is most thankful is that Alexis does consider her her "mom". Not to take away from Meredith but it's just that something organic that happened overtime and it has never been an issue. Kate has always admired how beautiful and smart Alexis is and her opinion on important matters is a must when it comes to family decisions. She has no doubts about Alexis' success in the future and more importantly, she's happy to be her mother.

"It went well. There were certain parts that needed extra thinking but I think I did good." Alexis shared happily and Kate nodded in approval.

"Ready for dinner?" Rick asked next.

"Yes, babe. I'm starving" Kate said.

"Mother will meet us at the restaurant and, oh, where's my hug?" Rick said as he opened his arms.

Kate felt her daughter's arms tighten around her. She caressed her hair softly as to assure her that she's not letting go anytime soon.

"Uh, Rick, could you carry my bag for a while?" Rick understood and smiled. His life is ruled by the best women in the world and everyday he is thankful for that. Rick Castle would not have live his life any other way.

"Always." He leaned in for a kiss and grabbed Kate's purse from her hand. "Let's go."

* * *

What do you think? Please comment and review. Would really appreciate it!  
I deliberately didn't name their daughter because I couldn't think of a name worthy for the characters. Any suggestions would be nice?

Twitter: miaisfangirl


End file.
